The Other Twilight
by AprilMeeha
Summary: What if the Cullen family had been more social? How would that effect the way things worked out for Bella and them? There is only one way to find out... Rated M for future lemons. Review for faster updates. On Hiatus. Sorry guys!
1. Chapter 1

**Preface**

I have never given much thought to how I would die. I feel it is safe to assume that I never would have envisioned it being like this.

I stared into the eyes of the hunter, as he gazed at me. Not just at me, but into me.

I knew that if I had never moved to Forks, if I had never made that one seemingly insignificant choice, I would not be facing death now. But, no matter how terrified I was, I did not regret it. Did not regret one moment of it.

I had to believe that this was the way it was meant to be. I have loved, and been loved back. Which is more than most people can honestly claim.

Not even death can take that from me, now.

The hunter smiled at me in a friendly way, and walked slowly forward, ready to kill me.

**~*~**

**Chapter 1**

**And So It Begins**

Today is the day. Today I am moving away from my crazy mother. Renee is one of those eccentric people. If something catches her eye, she has to have it or do it. Be it a falling apart chair on the side of the road, or skydiving lessons. She is my best friend and I am leaving her.

Renee's husband, Phil, is a minor league baseball player, and she has been staying home with me instead of travelling with him. Feeling bad for causing them to spend so much time apart, I am moving to a tiny town in Washington state, to live with my father. Charlie isn't a bad guy, and I know it will be nice to not have to be the mature one for a while, but I am going to miss Renee. A lot.

So, here I am, piling the rest of my belongings into the back of Phil's station wagon. Preparing to leave sunny Phoenix, for the much greener, much more humid Forks, Washington.

Renee drove me to the airport with the windows down, letting me get one final chance to enjoy the dry heat. The sky was a beautiful blue, spotted with a handful of fluffy clouds that looked like cotton balls. I had spent a long time in my bedroom, deciding what to where today - dress for the warmth of Phoenix, or prepare for the chill of Forks. I had finally settled on my favorite t-shirt, it had a snarky comment across the chest, and my carry-on item was a sandy brown parka that had a red design floating across it.

Forks, Washington exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. I am fairly certain that it is the rainiest place in the country, and this gloomy place is where Renee escaped from with me when I was still a baby. I spent a month in this town every summer, until I was fourteen, and was finally able to put my foot down and demand Charlie vacation in California with me instead.

And now, I was exiling myself to Forks. I almost hated myself for it, too.

Renee tried to convince me to stay one last time, and yet again, I assured her - as best I could - that I _wanted_ to do this. Mom is the exact image of me in 20 or so years, and I felt a sudden wave of panic as I realized that I really was leaving her. She has Phil now, to make sure the bills get paid, but part of me can never trust anyone to take care of her like I can.

She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I walked away from her.

**~*~**

The plane ride to Washington is about four hours long. I spent it all, worrying about the car ride home with Charlie. Forks is such a small town that they have no airport of their own. The flight from Phoenix landed in Seattle, then I had to take another - much shorter - flight to Port Angeles, followed by an hour in the car. I stumbled off the plane and easily found Charlie, waiting in front of his police cruiser. Charlie is the chief of police in Forks.

"Hey Bells. How was the flight?" He gave me an awkward one armed hug.

Charlie was really decent about everything, he seemed excited to have me move in with him.

"It was good. Long." I smiled at him.

Charlie and I were very similar in the fact that we weren't really all that social. We can hold a conversation if we want to, but we're not very good at the small talk.

He helped me heave my few bags into the trunk of the cruiser, and we climbed in to head home. 'Home'. Is that what this place is for me now?

The drive from Port Angeles to Forks is about an hour. We filled it with a few small comments about the weather, the growth of my hair, nothing of importance. We pulled up to the house, and I saw a large truck sitting in front of it. I didn't know Charlie had a second car. Why did he drive the cruiser to get me, if something else was available? We climbed out of the car.

"Um, I know you were planning on buying yourself a car when you got here." He started, then paused. I glanced at him. "Well, uh, welcome home." He held out a small key chain to me, with just two keys on it.

"What?" I stared at him, confused.

"I got you this, as a welcome home gift. I hope you don't mind." His arm was still extended with the keys, which I carefully took.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to Dad. I saved up."

He shrugged, and moved to the trunk to grab my stuff. I didn't have much, so it only took one trip for both of us to carry everything up to my room. It was like stepping back in time. The only thing that had changed in my room, was that in the place of my crib, now sat a bed. And a computer. That was one of Renee's requests, a computer with Internet hooked up. She expected regular e-mails from me. Everything else in the room was the same though. Same wall paper, same rocking chair in the corner, same slightly yellowed lace curtains on the window. It was, oddly, both comforting and a little creepy.

One great thing about Charlie, is that he doesn't hover. After setting my stuff on the bed, he shuffled his feet a little, as if unsure of what to say to me, then retreated. I sat on the bed and looked around me. A small voice in my head asked if I had made a mistake in coming here. I pushed that aside and started unpacking.

**~*~**

When I was done putting my things away, I took a little tour of the house. Since I was upstairs already, I started there. There was one small hallway up here. Across the hall from my room was the one and only bathroom, and down the hall was Charlie's room. After setting my tooth and hair brushes in the bathroom, I made my way downstairs. The house was pretty small, so it did not take long to see it all. The stairs ended in front of the front door, with the living room connected to it. There was a single couch - which Charlie now occupied, watching baseball - a worn in chair, a fireplace and a television set.

"I ordered a pizza. Figured I'd give you your first night here off of kitchen duty." Charlie grunted, not moving from his spot.

I nodded, then moved to the kitchen. It was all still the same. Yellow cabinets Renee had painted years ago to 'bring in a little sunshine.' She hated Forks and its constant overcast skies. The table was surrounded by mismatched chairs, and I sat in one. Unsure of what to do now. My tour was over.

When the pizza came, Charlie and I dug in. Then, I moved back to my new/old room. I pulled out my copy of Wuthering Heights. It was battered and bruised, and my most prized possession. I read until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

**~*~**

Breakfast with Charlie was... quiet. He read the newspaper while he ate, and I didn't mind the silence. Renee was always big on talking during meals. 'Family Bonding' or something like that. I suppose if this weren't my first full day in Forks, Charlie might be the same way.

After finishing his food, Charlie clomped his way out the front door, leaving me to find my way to school alone. I was happy to not have to ride in the cruiser for my first day at school. I made my way out to my new truck and it came to life with a loud, angry sounding growl.

I had decided to pull out one of my other sarcastic t-shirts again; they are my comfort clothes. Sarcasm is my default, it is my way of getting through awkward situations, and I am fairly certain today is going to be full of those.

It wasn't hard to find the school, right off the highway. The only thing that made me even realize it was a school was the large sign in front of it that held its name. Forks High School. It wasn't like the schools I was used to back in Phoenix. It wasn't one large building, instead, it was several smaller buildings built closely together. It almost looked like just another part of the neighborhood. I parked in front of what appeared to be the administration building and climbed out of the truck.

Inside of the building was brightly lit. There was a small waiting area with a handful of chairs, a few notices and awards on the walls, and a large clock ticking the time away. There was a large, red-haired woman sitting at the front desk, shifting through some paperwork. I stopped in front of her and waited for her to look up.

"Hi, uh, I am Isabella Swan." I watched the recognition flash in her eyes. Great, Charlie has talked about me.

She pulled out my schedule, a paper for all of my teachers to sign and a school map. After quickly going over everything with her, I was able to make my escape. By the time I made it back out to my truck, other students were milling around. In Phoenix, we lived in a somewhat rich neighborhood. It was pretty commonplace to see fancy cars in the parking lot at school. Luckily, here in Forks, my truck fit in just fine. Well, except for the one shiny Volvo.

I turned off the truck when I found a free spot, and took out my map. I wanted to get it memorized so I wouldn't be that new kid who walked around the first week with the school map infront of their face. I threw it and my course schedule in the front pocket of my nearly empty backpack, and climbed out of the truck.

I kept the hood of my jacket up securely around my head as I walked through the crowds of teenagers. It was easy to spot the building my first period was in, with the large three painted on a square in the top corner of it. I kept my pace even, trying not to draw any attention to myself as I moved towards it.

My first period was English, my favorite subject. At least I got to start each day on a good note. Unfortunately, though, all of the things on the list of reading material for the semester, I had already read. I wondered idly if I would be able to convince Renee to send me my folder of old essays. I sighed, realizing she would probably consider that cheating.

When class ended, a boy who hadn't quite reached his full potential - a bit gangly, some skin problems, and slightly greasy black hair - leaned over from the seat next to me.

"Hi. You're Isabella Swan, right?" He asked.

"Bella." I instantly corrected him. Speaking apparently was the wrong response, because everyone nearby suddenly pivoted in their seats to look at me.

"Where's your next class?"

I quickly pulled out my schedule to double check. "Uh, Government, in building six. With Jefferson."

Everyone was still watching me... kind of creepy.

"I'm Eric. I am headed over to building four, I could show you the way." He smiled, looking hopeful.

He seemed like the overly helpful kind of person. I gave him a careful smile in return and mumbled a thanks.

He led the way outside, into the rain. Either I am getting paranoid, or there were several people who were walking a little too closely behind us.

Eric made some chit chat, which I tried to tune out, giving minimal responses. I threw in a sarcastic remark, and it seemed lost on him. Awesome.

He was sure to walk me right up to the door of the building, even though, like building three, it was marked with a clear six. He wished me luck, hoping we had more classes together before turning and walking away.

The rest of the morning passed pretty much the same way. I was starting to recognize some faces, and each class there was at least one person who was brave enough to introduce themselves to the new girl. At least I never needed the map. One girl sat next to me in both Trigonometry and Spanish, and she walked with me to lunch. She was another one of those people that just kept talking and talking, so I was able to get by with just nodding and laughing occasionally.

I followed her to a table full of people, and she introduced them each. I forgot their names immediately, not really caring. Eric was across the room, and he made sure to send me a big wave and smile.

I spent my lunch hour people watching. The place was clearly divided, like most high schools. There were drama kids, music geeks(their tables were next to each other and the students seemed interchangeable), jocks, popular kids, outcasts. Each group had their own designated tables. Except two of them. One table - the one I was at - seemed to be full of students who didn't fit into any one clique, but associated with everyone. And the other table, was filled with the most beautiful people I had ever seen. They were in the middle of the cafeteria, able to communicate with anyone at any given time. I watched them the most. There were three guys and two girls. All pale, and all looked like they could be models.

The girl's seemed to be complete opposites. One was tall, curvy and blond. The other was tiny, with black spiky hair. Everything about her was tiny, and she was constantly moving. Always playing with her hair, or moving things, like she just could not control all of the energy she had.

Then, there were the boys. I really feel like I should say men. One was huge. And, I mean, HUGE. Even sitting down he looked like he was around six feet tall. And he was covered in muscles. He had dark curly hair, and a smile that made him look so innocent. The next was standing behind the tiny girl. He was easily over six feet, but leaner than the first. He had long blond hair, and while you could see his muscles, they weren't as obvious as the other guy. Lastly, there was obviously the youngest. He was a bit lanky, not so muscular, and had gorgeous, bronze, untidy hair. I wanted to run my hands through it.

They were all talking and laughing with each other, and occasionally with a table nearby. They looked like a fun group. Suddenly, the tiny girl stood up. I watched as she walked gracefully towards our table. Her eyes were trained on me. I felt the familiar blush creep into my cheeks, embarassed I had been caught staring. At the last second, her eyes flitted to look at the girl next to me. Whom I still could not remember her name.

"Hey Jess." She said in a soprano voice.

"Ali! Have you met Bella yet?" The girl - Jess - I walked to lunch with asked.

"No, I have not. Hi Bella. It's so nice to meet you." Ali gave me a small wave and a smile.

"Hi." I gave her a small smile in response.

"I love your shirt." She said, barely glancing at it.

I looked down, trying to remember which shirt I had put on this morning. It was a little tight, and had writing going down the middle, like one of those eye charts doctors use to check your vision. Only, instead of random letters, this one said _"If you can read this you have no idea that I am laughing at you loser!"_ I blushed, and then tuned them out as they gossiped. My eyes kept darting back to the beautiful boy with the bronze hair. At one point, he was mid-laugh and his eyes turned to me suddenly. I watched as his laughter died and he looked confused. I looked away then, blushing a deep red.

When Ali left, I leaned in towards Jess.

"Hey, who are they?" I gave a pointed look to the table Ali walked back to.

"Oh, that is the Cullen's and Hale's. Alice Cullen is who was just over here. She is a bit weird, but really sweet. She is dating Jasper Hale, that's the tall blond one who looks like he is in pain a lot. The big guy, that is Emmett Cullen. He is dating the blond goddess, Rosalie Hale. She and Jasper are twins. The last one is Edward Cullen. He seems to be too good for anyone here, though, so don't even think about going after him." She sounded a little bitter, and I raised an eyebrow at her. She just shook her head and continued. "They are all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife. It is kind of weird that they all live together and are dating, but whatever." She shrugged.

When the bell rang, everyone stood to go to their classes. One of the other girl's at the table - she considerately reminded me that her name was Angela - had Biology with me after lunch, so she walked with me. She seemed a bit shy, too, so the walk was silent.

I was happy to see that the plain black topped desks I had had back in Phoenix were the same ones used here. Angela quickly left my side to take her spot at one of the desks. I realized then, that all the desks had two occupants. All except one. Edward Cullen sat at that table by himself. I noticed his unusual bronze colored hair first.

I had to walk through the classroom in order to get to the teachers desk. Keeping an eye on Edward as I moved, I noted that he was animatedly talking to a couple other students. Until I passed. As I passed, he suddenly stopped talking. He stared at me again, and I felt a pang of fear rush through me. He looked angry for some reason. I blushed deeply, again, and stumbled over a book in the walkway. This caused a couple girls to giggle.

The teacher gave me a text book, and sent me back to the only open seat. I kept my eyes down as I made my way back to the table, and sat quickly. I chanced another glance at him, and saw that his eyes were coal black as he glared at me. I noticed his posture - he was leaning away from me, sitting as far away from me as possible at the table. I wondered briefly if I smelled. I took a quick sniff of my hair, and could only smell the strawberry shampoo that I love. It seemed like an innocent enough scent, but maybe he hates strawberries. I shook my hair over my shoulder to create a curtain between us to hide behind, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.

The world was against me, though, because the lecture was about something I had already studied. I took noted, and tried to force myself to not look at Edward. I kept control for most of the period, but every now and then, my eyes would shift on their own, and I would look through my hair at him. He never relaxed, his back was rigid and his hands balled into fists. He made sure he was as far away from me as the desktop allowed. The sleeves of his white shirt were pushed up, and it showed the muscles in his arms. I was surprised to see just how strong he looked up close, still not nearly as beefy as his oldest brother, but he could hold his own in a fight.

The class seemed to be never ending, and it made me wonder if it was simply because the day was almost over, or due to the fact that I was waiting for Edward to relax. The stiffness of his body made it look like he wasn't even breathing. Is this how he always is? It made me rethink the bitterness I had thought I heard in Jess's voice at lunch. I kept telling myself that he couldn't be upset with me for any reason; he didn't know me at all.

I risked a peek at him again, and instantly regretted it as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. His black eyes were staring at me as though I were the most disgusting piece of trash he had ever seen. I flinched away from him, and inched my seat towards the other end of the table quickly.

The bell rang suddenly, and before I could even blink, Edward Cullen was out of his seat and halfway across the room. I noted how much taller he was than I had originally thought, and then he was gone, before anyone else had stood up.

I was frozen in my seat, watching the doorway where he had been a split second ago. As they usually did when I was angry, my eyes pricked with tears. It was humiliating, but I couldn't help it. How could he hate me without knowing me? There was no mistaking the look on his face when he had looked at me.

I threw my books into my shoulder bag with enough force to send it flying to the ground. I sighed and before I could reach for it, another hand was picking it up.

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" Asked the male voice attached to my bag.

I looked up to his face, and saw a cute, baby-faced boy. His hair was gelled heavily, but carefully into neat spikes, and he smiled at me. It was a relief to not see the anger on his face.

"Just Bella." I corrected, reaching out to take my things from him with a smile. "Thanks."

"I'm Mike."

"Hi, Mike."

"Need any help finding your next class?"

I informed him that I had gym next, and could probably find it on my own, but he had seemed thrilled as he responded with a "That's my next class, too!" I'm not sure why, though, because in a school this small, it can't be that big of a coincidence.

We walked to class together, and it was easy for me again. Like with Jess, Mike was a talker. He'd moved here from California when he was ten, so he knew all-too-well how I felt about leaving the sun. I found out he was in my English class, too, and he was easily the nicest person I had met today.

But as we were entering the gym, he asked a question that made my stop walking.

"So, did you stab Edward Cullen under the table or something? He is never like that!"

He laughed a little as I cringed. I decided to try and play dumb, not wanting to think about the fact that that meant that Edward didn't usually act that way.

"Was that who I was sitting next to in Bio? I never even talked to him." I attempted to shrug, as if it didn't matter.

"He looked like he was in pain or something." Mike paused before going into the changing room. "If I had been lucky enough to sit next to you, I would have talked to you."

I smiled at him before retreating into the girls' locker room. Mike was nice, but, I was still upset about Edward's obvious dislike of me.

Luckily, I didn't have to dress for class today. Back in Phoenix, gym was only needed for two years, but here, it was forced upon the unwilling students all four years. Making Forks my own personal hell.

I felt a little sick as I watched the class playing volleyball. It brought back flashes of all the injuries I had sustained, and caused, before.

When the day finally ended, I walked back to my truck and drove around to the office again. The wind was blowing hard, and it was colder than it had been this morning, so I wrapped my arms around myself.

I froze when I stepped into the office. Edward Cullen stood at the desk ahead of me. I instantly recognized his amazing, bronze hair. He tensed for a second when the door first opened, but then relaxed and continued his conversation with the receptionist. I stood back against the wall, and waited my turn.

I quickly picked up the topic of his conversation, as his smooth voice floated back towards me. He was trying to change out of Biology.

My mind went blank as I tried to comprehend this. There had to be another reason; he could _not_ be trying to change his schedule just to get away from me! It was impossible that he could have taken such a strong disliking for someone who was a total stranger to him.

The door opened again, and the freezing wind rushed inside with the girl who quickly dropped a paper in a basket, then she was gone again. A shiver ran up my spine, both from the chill of the wind, and the look as Edward froze again, then turned slowly to glare at me with hate-filled eyes. The hairs on my arms raised suddenly, and the fear his gaze had caused, raced through me.

He quickly ended his conversation, and disappeared out the door.

I bit my lip to stop the welling of tears in my eyes as I stepped forward to hand over the slip of paper.

"How did your first day go?" The receptionist asked, looking genuinely interested.

I nodded and gave her the best smile I could muster, but she didn't look convinced. When I got back to my truck, I climbed in and just stared out the windshield. I could see a few people standing around, talking and laughing. Before long, the cold was too much to handle, so I turned the key in the ignition. The truck roared to life, and I backed out of my parking space. As I headed back to Charlie's house, I continued to fight the tears that were trying to take over.

**A/N: This story is being written chapter by chapter, page by page alongside Twilight. Obviously, since there is a bit of OOCness, I will have to change up how some things happen. We will see how these things work out as I come to them. It will probably take a while between chapters - since I basically read a paragraph, then write one - so, don't hate me if you have to wait! Also, this story will only continue if I keep getting reviews, because I am more worried about my other stories. So, review! Thanks!**

**~AP**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Looking Through Me**

Day two at Forks High School was both better and worse.

Better:

No rain yet; though the clouds looked like they could open up at any moment.

I knew what to expect of my day, for the most part. Mike sat next to me in English, and walked me to my next class - while Eric watched with a glare. Which was flattering.

People didn't stare as much as yesterday, which is always a bonus in my book.

I sat with a large group of people at lunch; including Mike, Eric, Jess and Angela along with several other people I could actually remember the names of. Alice even came over and sat with us for a bit. She brought over her boyfriend Jasper. He was quiet, but seemed to have this calming effect on the whole group; Eric and Angela had been arguing about stories to post in the school newspaper, and once he and Alice arrived, they seemed to lose steam.

Alice complimented my shirt again, it had another snarky line scrawled across it, but I had been careful to pick out something no one could take offense to.

Worse:

I was dead tired. I couldn't sleep with all the noise that wind and rain create, echoing through the house.

Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when I had purposefully not raised my hand.

I actually had to participate in gym today, too, which resulted in me smacking myself in the head several times, and getting my hand caught in the volleyball net.

And, as much as I hated to admit it, Day 2 was worse because Edward Cullen didn't show up.

Over all, I felt like I was starting to get a handle on everything, instead of drowning in the stress that Day 1 had smothered me in.

I had spent the entire morning dreading seeing Edward again in lunch. I was afraid of the glares I would get from him. I had worked myself up on the ride into school, ready to confront him and demand he explain what I had done to make him hate me so much. But as soon as I had pulled into the parking lot, I had lost all my confidence. Hell, the Cowardly Lion had nothing on me.

And, of course, as soon as I had walked into the cafeteria with Jess, my eyes had zeroed in on his families table. It was empty when we first got there, but before long, the Cullen's and Hale's had trays of food and were laughing it up with each other. Two Cullen's and two Hale's. My heart dropped into my stomach.

Mike had quickly blocked Jess and I from sitting at an empty table, and steered us towards the one he and a few others had already grabbed. Jess seemed really excited by this, and all of her friends joined us before long, and it was a big crowd of people standing or sitting around us. I couldn't keep up with the chatter going around the table as I waited for Edward to walk through the door, and that didn't go unnoticed.

"He's not here." Alice said, settling herself between Jess and I.

"Who?" I tried to play it off like I wasn't staring at the door, willing her brother to walk through it.

"Edward." She rolled her eyes. "He went to visit some relatives." She explained, but that didn't settle anything.

"Why didn't any of you go?" I gestured towards Emmett and Rosalie, still sitting at their normal table.

Alice shrugged. "Didn't feel like it."

She then turned her attention back to Jess, and I was left with my thoughts. When it was time to go, Mike walked with me to Biology. He was nice, but him tailing me everywhere was going to get old fast. As I stepped into the classroom, a breath I hadn't been aware I was holding came out with a whoosh. I made my way to my seat, with Mike faithfully following. He was going on and on about a trip to the beach that they had all been discussing at lunch. He stayed by my side until the bell rang, then pouted a little as he turned to go sit next to his table partner. I sighed, realizing that Mike might become an issue. I have very little experience in the realm of admiring boys, and in a small town like this, if I wasn't tactful it would be all over the place before I even finished telling him I wasn't interested.

Every time I caught myself glancing at Edward's empty seat, I told myself that I was glad he wasn't here. I didn't have to worry about being cramped up to half of the table, I could spread everything out in front of me. But, it still bugged me. I couldn't help but wonder if it was because of me. As egotistical as that seems, it kept crossing my mind. I had never had anyone take such an immediate and intense disliking to me like that before.

When the day was finally over, I made a b-line for my truck. A fierce blush - due to gym - was still staining my cheeks as I turned the key in the engine. As the cab warmed up, I searched my bag to be sure I had everything I needed. I had realized last night how little Charlie knew how to cook, and that the kitchen was seriously lacking even the basics. I had made a shopping list, and he had given me some money to go get food.

I pulled out into the line of cars leaving the school, and waited patiently. Then, I saw the beautiful Cullen's and Hale's walking towards their car. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie's shoulders and they were laughing loudly at something. Alice and Jasper's arms were laced together as Jasper scowled at them. I watched them stop at the shiny volvo, and rolled my eyes. Of course the beautiful people had the only nice car. Before climbing inside, Alice glanced over at me and waved with a smile. I pretended to not see her, and looked ahead of me at the line of cars.

The Thriftway was not far from school, and I was happy to be there. It made me think of back home in Phoenix, and the store was big enough that I didn't hear the soft pattering of rain outside.

"Hey Bella!" I heard a soprano voice call down the cereal isle.

Glancing towards it, I saw Alice gliding towards me. She didn't stop a few feet away like I had expected, instead she stepped right up to me, and wrapped her arms around me in a quick hug.

"Hey Alice. Whats up?" I asked, trying not to let it show how her hug had creeped me out a little.

"Jasper and I are just doing some shopping." She glanced over my shoulder with a smile.

"Hey Bella." The deeper voice made me jump a little and I turned so I could see both of them.

"Are you going to the beach this weekend?" Alice asked, swiftly latching on to Jasper.

I shrugged and leaned on my shopping cart. "No one has really asked me to go."

"Don't be silly! Of course you are invited!" The smaller girl giggled.

"So, you guys are going?" I asked, telling myself that I didn't care if they did or didn't.

Alice sighed, and shook her head. "Our parents are taking us camping." Then, she rolled her eyes, in an obvious they-are-so-lame sort of way.

I made a little more small talk, then used the feeding of Charlie as an excuse to run away.

When I finally got home, it was later than I had originally planned. I quickly breaded a couple pieces of chicken and while they fried, I pulled out a box of instant mashed potatoes. Charlie walked in the front door just as I was pulling the chicken out of the frying pan. I quickly set it along with the two other bowls - one of potatoes and the other full of canned green beans - on the table.

"Smells good." Charlie called down the short hallway.

"It's not much." I amended as his boots thudded off his feet and onto the little mat by the front door.

I heard him hanging up his unused gun belt, as I pulled a couple cups out of the cabinet. I filled them with iced tea as he made his way into the kitchen and to the small table. We ate in silence, which made me happy. He obviously wasn't a family-bonding-at-the-dinner-table person. After he had eaten all he could, he grunted and pushed himself back from the table a little.

He watched me as I stood to clear away the dirty dishes.

"So, how was school?" He asked as I put the dishes in the sink.

"Good." Was my only response.

"Make any friends yet?" His voice was uncertain, like he wasn't sure if two days was long enough to befriend anyone.

"Well, there are a couple people in several of my classes that are nice. I sit with them at lunch." I thought of Jess and Mike.

"Anyone I know?" This time, I was certain there was suspicion in his voice. I don't know why because I can't see how there could be a 'bad crowd' in a town like this.

"Probably." I joked, getting a chuckle out of him. "A girl named Jessica and a guy named Mike?" I gave him a look over my shoulder as I washed the plates.

"Mike Newton?" He asked, thinking it over. "He's a nice kid. His family owns the sporting goods store right outside of town. Good business when it warms up and people start going hiking and camping." He nodded.

I stifled a snort when he mentioned it warming up around here. He stood up and started towards the living room, then.

"Hey, uh, dad? Do you know the Cullen family?" I asked suddenly, not really thinking about it beforehand.

"Sure. Dr. Cullen is a great man. Family is real nice, too. Why?" He paused at the doorway, turned halfway towards me again.

"Just wondering. I see Alice at lunch a lot, and I ran into her and Jasper Hale at the store today." I shrugged, not wanting to mention Edward.

"Dr. Cullen is an amazing doctor. He could work for any hospital he wanted to, but he chose our little neck of the woods." He said, and the look on his face showed me just how much respect he had for this man. "I had my doubts when they moved here. So many adopted kids, I was sure they'd act out. But, really, I have barely heard a peep from them. A couple parties here and there, but those are full of kids whose families who have lived here for too many generations to count. And the Cullen family acts how a family should - they stick together. Which is a lot more than I could say for a lot of other families around here. They go camping often as they can, too. Just a good, close family." He huffed, coming to an end of his speech.

I just stared at Charlie, wondering what the hell that was. He had gotten quite worked up towards the end of his little speech - the longest I had ever heard him give - and I have no clue what started that. From what I could tell, everyone loves the Cullen's.

I didn't know what to say in response, so I just finished washing the dishes and setting them out to dry. I heard Charlie walk into the living room and settle himself on the couch. I made my way upstairs to start working on my homework, starting what would surely be a routine for Charlie and I.

That week flew by. There was nothing that really stood out for me. By Friday, I was able to remember the names of most of the kids in my classes. People learned to avoid passing me the ball in gym, and they blocked for me when the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I was more than happy to stand to the side, and let them play.

Every day, I would watch anxiously as the rest of the Cullen's made their ways to lunch. And every day, I would be able to relax once I was sure Edward was not with them. The beach trip that everyone had planned for this weekend was being postponed for a couple weeks, so they were still all discussing it. Mike had asked, overly hopeful, if I would be going with them. I agreed to go, simply to not make anyone upset. Beach are supposed to be dry and hot, and this one was sure to not be.

By Friday, I was totally comfortable walking into Biology. There was no one waiting to glare at me, so I could breathe easily. I still had the little voice in the back of my head that would shout that it was my fault Edward was not there, but I was able to ignore that for the most part.

My first weekend in Forks was pretty uneventful. There was only one thing that was kind of weird about it. Jess had bothered me at school to get a Facebook page, so I decided I might as well check it out. Well, not 2 minutes after I had finished signing up on the site, Alice Cullen had added me as a friend. I hadn't even gotten a chance to try to find anyone from school before she had found me.

I also made time that weekend to take a trip to the local library, but unfortunately it was so poorly stocked, I didn't even bother getting a card. I would most likely never come back here. I would have to travel outside of Forks to get any good reading material.

I was greeted by a lot of people on Monday morning in the parking lot, and while I didn't remember _everyone's_ name, I still waved back. It was colder this morning than it had been since I arrived in Forks, but it was dry, so I was happy enough. Mike took his normal seat next to me in English, and everything was just as it had been last week.

I was quite comfortable in my new life. A lot more so than I expected to ever be.

When we left first period, the air was full of swirling bits of white. There were kids running up to their friends, excited about the first snow of the season. I suppressed a moan as the wind bit at the open skin of my face.

"It's snowing!" Mike said excitedly.

"Ew." Was all I could manage. This snow just ruined my good day.

Mike stared at me in shock. "You don't like snow?"

I shook my head, pulling my coat tighter around me.

"Snow means it is too cold to rain." D'uh. "And, besides, I thought snow was supposed to come down in flakes? This looks like pieces of cotton."

Mike let out a loud laugh. "Haven't you seen snow before?"

"On TV." I glared at him. "I grew up in Phoenix, remember? We don't get much snow there." I huffed and started towards my next class.

Mike called for me to wait up, then I heard a thud, and turned to see a bunch of snow sliding down his back. I looked further past him, and saw Eric hurrying away, in the wrong direction for his next class. I'd be willing to put money on it having been him who threw the snow at Mike. And Mike seemed to have the same idea, as he scooped up some snow and ran after Eric.

"Bye." I said to no one in particular since I was alone now.

The rest of the morning was full of excited chatter about the snow. I avoided the questions that came my way randomly about if I was happy about the snow. The gut reaction to the question was to scream that No! I did not like the snow! But, from the looks on everyone's faces, that answer would not go over well.

I let out a small shriek as I was glancing out the door of my Trig class, looking for anyone who may be tempted to throw a snowball my way. Alice Cullen had suddenly popped up right infront of me. Jasper Hale was not far behind her, as the two of them seemed to be almost glued at the hip.

"Hey Bella!" She smiled at me.

"Hi Alice." I said, feeling like more of a target was now aimed my way. Alice is easily one of the most popular people in school, She has plenty of friend who might find it funny to lop a dripping mush ball at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, giggling at me as my eyes darted around the schoolyard.

"I don't want to get pelted with snowballs." I said, glancing back at her.

Jasper laughed a little, and wrapped an arm around Alice.

"They don't throw anything at us. Alice might kill them if they messed up her hair." He smirked down at the much smaller girl.

I sighed, and stepped out of the doorway.

"Come on, walk with us to lunch. You will be safe." Alice said, her arm snaking out to latch onto mine.

And so, the three of us made our way to the cafeteria. I am pretty sure we looked a bit weird, Alice latched onto my arm, and Jasper refusing to let go of her hand. But, they didn't seem to care, and no one else was staring or anything, so I didn't think about it.

As we walked, the arm of my jacket slid up a little bit, and Alice's hand touched my wrist. I jumped a bit, her hand was ice cold.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, laughing a bit.

"Your hand is freezing, Alice! You should have gloves on!" I said, looking from her pale hand, then up to her smiling face.

The smile slipped a little bit, but she quickly put it back in place.

"We are almost at the cafeteria, my hands will warm up." She pulled her arm away from mine and glanced up at Jasper.

"Her hands are always cold." He shrugged. "She never pays attention to it."

I nodded and we continued on our way to lunch in silence. When we got inside, Alice and Jasper waved to me as they made their way to their normal table, and I wandered over to Jess and Mike. As I walked, I glanced over at their table. And I froze where I was. Their was a fifth person at the table. A bronze haired person.

"Bella?"

I heard someone call my name, but I couldn't take my eyes off him.

"Bella!" This time, I heard several people yell my name, followed by laughter. I snapped out of it, and looked at my laughing friends.

"What are you staring at?" Jess asked, craning her neck to look in the same direction. When she saw the Cullen's and Hale's, her mouth made an 'O' shape. She turned to another girl, named Lauren, and they both giggled.

I sat in my normal spot, and my eyes returned to the Cullen table. They were all laughing. Emmett and Edward had melted snow covering their hair. Rose and Alice leaned away as Emmett suddenly shook his head, and covered them with the moisture. Jasper was just laughing at them all. Rose glared at Emmett, as she pulled her shirt out to glare at the wet spots he had made on it. I sighed. They were enjoying the retched snow, too. Only, they looked like they were part of Currier and Ives painting; while everyone else was just blurred as if part of a paint by numbers done by a five year old.

I continued to stare at them, even after they had calmed down and were just holding a normal conversation. There was something very different about them, but I couldn't put my thumb on what exactly it was. I watched Edward the most, and compared them all to him. He was a little less pale, a bit flushed from a snow fight probably. But, then why wasn't Emmett? He had obviously been around Edward when he got covered in snow - it was too coincidental that two Cullen's got bombed with snow separately. The circle's under Edward's eyes were much less noticeable than his siblings, too. But there was something more...

I didn't realize that anyone had noticed my staring until Jess leaned closer to me. I diverted my stare when I realized she was trying to see what I was looking at. I failed at throwing her off the trail, though, because suddenly she sighed loudly.

"You're still staring at him?! Move on Bella, he is an ass." She turned back to Lauren then, and left me to be embarrassed.

I stared at the table for a moment, before I let my need to see his face again take over. I glanced up through my lashes, and saw him staring over at me, too. My eyes dropped again, and I picked at the table. I spent the rest of lunch thinking of ways to kill Jess for announcing to the whole school that I was staring at Edward Cullen. That was the only thing I could come up with for why he had looked at me, Jess had obviously said that I was staring too loudly.

"Whats _he_ staring at?" I heard Lauren say from Jess' other side.

Then I felt Jess lean in towards me.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you." She giggled.

"Does he look angry?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"No," She sounded confused. "Should he?"

"I don't think he likes me." I glanced over at her. She looked at him again, shrugged, and turned back to Lauren. I sighed and stood to heard to Biology early. I needed some time alone to get myself together. As I walked away, I heard Mike and Eric babbling about some epic battle of the blizzard after school. He was asking who wanted in, and I heard Jess agree enthusiastically, and I thanked everything there was that I had gotten away before they could pull me into it. I decided I would have to hide in the locker room after gym until it was all over.

When I got to the cafeteria doors, I smiled. The snow had been replaced by rain. I pulled my hood up, pleased I would be free to leave after gym.

I was still smiling as I walked into the Biology class. It was still empty, and I took my seat, trying not to stare at the empty seat that I knew would be filled before too long. Lunch was nearly over when I left, so it didn't take long before I heard the bell ring. I pulled out a notebook and began doodling as I waited for class to start.

I heard it very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but I kept my attention on the picture I was drawing. Suddenly, drawing a cactus was very difficult.

"Hello." Said a soft, musical voice.

Without thinking, I looked up at him, and dragged my pen right through my cactus. He was speaking to me. He was still sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled towards me, and he was most definitely looking at me. He was speaking to me. Even though his hair was soaked, and in total disarray, he looked like he had just stepped off the set of a commercial for hair gel. And while his face gave every appearance of being friendly, I could see the caution in his eyes. I wondered briefly what he was worried about, but then he started talking again.

"I am Edward Cullen. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last week. You are Bella Swan, right?" He smiled at me.

My mind was reeling. He was being perfectly polite now, friendly even. Had I made up the whole thing last week? I realized my mouth was hanging open a little, and quickly shut it.

"How did you know my name?" I asked, coming up with nothing to say.

He laughed a little, and shook his head.

"I think everyone knows your name. Everyone in town has been waiting for Isabella Swan to arrive."

I grunted at that, having had a feeling that Charlie was telling everyone who would listen that I was coming.

"No, I meant, why did you call me Bella?" I continued lamely.

His brow furrowed, and I felt like smacking myself on the forehead.

"Alice said you went by Bella, so I assumed you did. Do you prefer Isabella?"

"No, I like Bella." I said quickly, forgetting that his sister would have told him I go by Bella. "I just think Charlie, my dad, calls me Isabella behind my back. That is how everyone seems to know me as." I sighed, resisting the urge to bang my head on the table.

He nodded, and dropped the subject. I stared back at my ruined cactus as the familiar flush spread across my cheeks.

Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. We had busy work today, since he had some pop quiz's from his other classes to grade. He handed out a few worksheets for us all to work on. The class worked in silence for a few minutes, then people started chatting with their partners. I felt a little awkward because Edward and I stayed quiet, but tried to just concentrate on my work. Suddenly, someone in the room sneezed really loudly, and it made me jump. When that happened, my pencil shot out of my hand and rolled on the ground under the table. I tried to look around and see where it rolled to, but before I could spot it, I heard Edward's chair squeak as he moved to get it for me.

He held it up for me and, as I took it, our eyes met. All I could do was stare for a moment. There was something different about his eyes.

"Thanks." I mumbled. Then, suddenly it clicked, and I blurted. "Did you get contacts?"

He looked confused for a moment, then shook his head. "No?" It came out sounding a bit like a question.

"Oh. I just... I thought there was something different about your eyes." I tried to shrug it off.

He shrugged, and looked away - he seemed much more carefree than I looked, I'm sure.

But, the more I thought about, the more I realized there really _was_ something different about his eyes. I vividly remembered the black of his eyes when he had glared at me last week. They had stood out when framed by his pale skin. Today, his eyes were completely different. They were a golden color, almost like that of hard caramel candy, but richer. I couldn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying to me for some reason. But, why would he lie about his eye color? I couldn't figure it out. Maybe Forks is making me crazy, literally.

I looked down, and saw his hands were clenched into tight fists again.

We both worked on our papers in silence again. After a while, I started doodling again.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" He asked. I started to get paranoid, like he was forcing himself to talk to me. It was as if he had heard Jess and I at lunch, and was trying to prove that he didn't hate me.

"Not really." I was honest. I figured one of us should be. The thoughts that he was lying about contacts were bothering me again. I couldn't even concentrate on my doodles.

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet." I snorted, then blushed.

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live." He mused.

"You have no idea." I muttered darkly.

He stared at me for a minute, seeming to be fascinated by what I said. I couldn't imagine why. His face was so distracting, that I tried not to look at him more than absolutely necessary. It was like like looking up at a clear, starry night. Once you started looking at the stars, it was hard to break your eyes away.

"Why did you move here, then?" He pressed.

I came up short for a response. No one had asked me that so directly before.

"It's... complicated." I hedged.

"I think I can keep up." He said with a smirk.

I thought for a minute before responding. Then, I made the mistake of looking into his golden eyes, and answered without thinking.

"My mother, she got remarried."

"That doesn't sound so complex." He disagreed, then his face shifted to sympathetic. "What did that happen?"

"Last September." I was surprised to hear the sadness in my voice.

"And, I'm guessing, you don't like him much." Edward surmised, his voice keeping that soft, kind tone.

"No, Phil is fine. A bit young, maybe, but nice enough."

"Why didn't you stay with them?"

I couldn't understand his interest, but he continued to stare at me. It was as if his eyes were penetrating my soul, and he found my boring life story to be the most interesting thing he had ever heard.

"Phil travels a lot. He plays baseball for a living." I gave a small smile.

"Have I heard of him?" He asked, smiling.

I felt like I was in some sort of cheesy teen sitcom. 'One of the schools coolest guys gets paired up in class with the new dorky girl. They meet, and bond over life stories.'

"Probably not. He isn't the best player, strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."

"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him." He guessed, obviously thinking he had fit puzzle pieces together.

"No." I huffed. "She did not send me here. I sent myself."

His eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand." He admitted, seeming overly frustrated by it.

I sighed, wondering why I was telling him all of this. He continued to look at me with obvious curiosity.

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy... so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." I sighed again at when I finished talking.

"But... now _you_ are unhappy." He pointed out, still looking confused.

"And?" I challenged, crossing my arms.

"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were still tense.

I laughed without humor. "Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."

"I believe I _have_ heard that somewhere before." He said dryly.

"So that's all." I insisted, my arms falling to rest on top of the desk.

His eyes roamed over me, appraising me. "You put on a good show." He said slowly. "But I'd be willing to be that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

My chin lifted defiantly, as I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old.

"Am I wrong?" He pressed.

I ignored him, picking up my pencil and trying to concentrate on the paperwork I had yet to finish.

"I didn't think so." I risked a glance, and saw the smug smirk on his face.

"Why does it matter to _you_, anyways?" I asked, irritated.

"That's a very good question." He muttered, so quietly that I wasn't sure if he meant for me to hear it or not. When he didn't continue, I took it to mean our conversation was over.

I sighed, and scowled at my paper.

"Am I annoying you?" He asked with a slight chuckle.

I looked at him again, without thinking and blurted the truth again. "Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read." I sighed.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." He said, sounding like he honestly couldn't read me as well as most people seemed to be able to.

"You must not be good at it." I said sarcastically, testing his ability to take a joke. I have noticed a lot of people around here seem to have no ability to understand sarcasm.

He laughed, flashing a set of perfect, ultra white teeth. "Usually I am. There must be something wrong with you, to make you so difficult for me to read."

I snorted at his comment, and turned back to my paper. So, he could take a joke, but he had hit a little close to home. Through out this move from Phoenix to Forks, I had thought about how things would be when I got here. I had never really fit in with kids in school back there, and now, I had to try and fit in at a school that is maybe half the size of my old one. I always wondered about if maybe I saw things differently than other people. I had wondered if maybe there was some sort of glitch in my brain that made me different.

Before long, the bell rang to signal the end of class, and Mr. Banner collected our worksheets. Edward rushed as swiftly from the room as he had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after him, wondering what had happened between us.

Mike quickly took his spot next to me, and picked up my books for me. I smiled, and we started walking towards the door.

"That was awful. I was so bored." He groaned, letting me leave ahead of him.

"It wasn't horrible." I shrugged.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today." He commented as we walked. He didn't seem please by that, but tried to act like he didn't care.

I tried to act indifferent, too. "I wonder what was with him last Monday?"

Luckily, Mike chattered away the entire walk to gym. By the time I walked out to the parking lot, the rain was just a gentle mist, it was almost soothing, but I was still happier when I climbed into the cab of my truck. I looked around me to make sure it was clear, and that was when I noticed him. Edward Cullen was leaning against the front of the silver Volvo, three cars down from me, and staring intently in my direction. I quickly looked away, and tried to ignore him as I shifted the truck into reverse. I slammed on the break just in time, I hadn't noticed the Toyota moving slowly right behind me. It was just the sort of car my truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath to calm myself, and cautiously pulled out again. I stared straight ahead as I passed Edward and the Volvo, but I could just make him out in my peripheral. And he was laughing.

**A/N: Holy hell! This chapter took a while to write, and it is a good 1,000 words longer than the first one! I wanted to clear up a couple things really quick, too. I said that this story was going page by page with the book, but I wanted to add in that it is (obviously) not word for word. I will be skipping whole paragraphs, and maybe even pages from time to time. And, once it gets into the meat and potatoes of it, things will be considerably different. The beginning is just very similar, because the only change is the fact that the Cullen's and Hale's are social. It is still the meeting the characters and setting up the plot line stuff for now, so you won't notice a whole lot of difference. Just keep reading, and it will be more and more obvious with changes. Some start in this chapter, getting it ready to change a lot. It is chapter 9 in the book when Bella finds out that Edward is a vampire, and I intend for it to be chapter 9 of this story when she finds out that he is a vampire, too. There will just be changes to what happens. lol OK, I hope you enjoyed. **

**Please review!!**

**~AP**


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